


Return of the Black Paladin

by AJ_Lenoire



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence - Post-Season 6, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, Love Confessions, Psychic Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-23 23:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14943018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJ_Lenoire/pseuds/AJ_Lenoire
Summary: Several days after carrying Shiro’s soul and restoring it to a physical body, Allura watches over him as he heals, still unconscious. As she monitors him, she considers all they have endured, her newfound family, and all that is to come. She’s glad beyond words that they’re all okay, but what is she going to do about this strange feeling in her chest? Or the strange images in her mind?





	Return of the Black Paladin

**Author's Note:**

> Season 6 dropped and it was B E A U T I F U L. It completely restored my faith in _Voltron: Legndary Defender_ which, admittedly, had failed to blow me away in seasons 4 and 5. But it returned in a BIG way, so much so I am reduced to complete Shallura trash, so here you go!
> 
> Canon compliant up to the end of season 6, yadda yadda yadda, takes place about a week/week-and-a-half after the season 6 finale _Defender of All Universes_.

Here, asleep, lit by the glow of the pod, he almost looked Altean. When his eyes were closed, hiding that he didn’t have secondary pupils, the light reflected off his cheekbones…

Maybe he was a little Altean now, after all he’d been through. His soul housed in a piece of Altean technology, and then the body of an Altean herself.

She could still feel him, in her mind. The soft coolness of his thoughts rolling over hers. Vague things, just images as he dreamt. She was glad for how peaceful they were; after all he’d been through, he needed some peace.

 _After all he’s been through_ , she scoffed at herself. No point in sugarcoating it. He’d _died_. It was only from his connection to the Black Lion that he lay there now, peaceful but breathing; very much alive. It was only from his bond to the Head of Voltron that allowed him to be drawing breath at this moment.

If that wasn’t a testament to how suited he was to be the Black Paladin, she didn’t know what _was_. Nonetheless, words could not describe how relieved she was that it had worked; that there had been something—someone—left to save. After Lotor and the Castle… she had needed something good.

She wondered if the images would fade. They probably would, in time, but who knew for sure? She’d never heard of anyone carrying another person’s soul inside of them. She didn’t even really know where the idea had come from. Maybe the Guardians of Oriande had been right; the knowledge simply lay inside her, and she just had to wait for it to emerge.

Either way, she was grateful that it had. Else they would have lost their Black Paladin all over again. She wasn’t fully convinced they could take another loss like that. Shiro… he meant so much to her, to all of them. He was Keith’s brother—perhaps not in blood, but what did that matter? The covenant was stronger than any womb. And what were they now, if not a family?

She glanced away from the control module to look at him, still sleeping in the pod. Turning back to the module, meticulously monitoring him, she could tell his vitals were all still stable. Pidge was already toiling away in one of the labs with Matt and Hunk, all of them set on building him a new prosthetic arm, constructed from only the finest technology Altea and Olkari had to offer.

The journey back to Olkari had been hard, but they needed to recuperate there for a time before heading to Earth. Shiro needed to heal, they all needed some good, simple rest.

And, who was she to deny it? They just needed a break. A short break. To welcome Keith back properly, to welcome _Shiro_ back properly, to get to know Krolia and Romelle and see where they were going to fit into all of this. Romelle was already discussing with the leaders of the coalition about sending a delegation to the Altean colony, about bringing New Altea into the fold… even if that did mean exposing the horrors Lotor had subjected them all to.

She set her jaw and tried not to think about it. She failed.

 _Ten thousand years…_ she fumed silently, _ten thousand years of lies and manipulation._ How could she ever have thought she would love someone like that? That the son of a tyrant and a genocidal maniac would be anything other than a tyrant and a maniac himself? Not all of the rage in the Quintessence Field had been borne from the power; some of it seethed inside her even now. A cold, harsh part of her—that which strove on through the most difficult parts of battle, the most determined, hardened part of her soul that had suffered the loss of her father and her planet and her people—raged that death had been too good for him.

That part didn’t scare her. The fact that it didn’t, _did_.

Inside the pod, Shiro shifted fractionally. At once she tore her gaze from the myriad of medical information on the control module, staring at him with wide eyes. It had been several quintants since they’d arrived at Olkari, and Shiro had been asleep that whole time. She could understand that; returning a soul to a body—or was it placing his soul into a new body? What was it, when it was a clone, but a clone of himself?—was taxing to do, but even more taxing to _endure_. It was no wonder he was still unconscious.

But would he stay that way?

She soon realised the answer was _yes, he would_ , because he didn’t stir further. She wondered if her enraged thoughts of Lotor and his betrayal, her foolishness… if she could sense his thoughts, his dreams, did it go both ways? It only made sense… and she didn’t want to disturb his rest. She made an effort to think of happier things; her youth back on Altea, the fact that there were thousands, _thousands_ of Alteans still alive. That she and the others were alive and well.

With everything else that had happened, she hadn’t had much time to speak to Romelle about how the Alteans had evolved their culture. She was willing to bet it wasn’t much, if Lotor had been in control, but Coran had been speaking with her and the coalition about the delegation, about reintroducing the monarchy—apparently, despite Lotor (or perhaps _because_ of him, given how he’d claimed to feel about her), the legend of King Alfor and Princess Allura still held strong, and the Alteans would almost certainly welcome the return of their Princess.

Once Shiro was well again, she would definitely schedule some time to speak with Romelle. She seemed a nice girl; strong-willed and brave, two things that Allura herself would never ignore. A strong ally was to be found in her, and hopefully, a trusted friend. It had been such a long time since she’d had an Altean friend. Coran, of course, was like a father to her, but it wasn’t the same—it wasn’t the same as a girl her own age.

Well, biologically at least. Chronologically, she was ten thousand years older than Romelle; _quite_ a bit longer than a normal Altean lifespan.

She loved the Paladins like they were her own blood—they were certainly her family—but there were some things that weren’t quite the same for their different worlds. Just as she was lost when Lance spoke about “meems” or “the internet” to Pidge or Hunk, she was met only with blank stares when she spoke of how she and her friends would try to catch gorfiblow deggers or pick fresh tanpits.

It would be nice to have that cultural familiarity again. It wouldn’t be the same, of course; it had been ten thousand years since Altea had been destroyed, but some of the culture would remain. And some was so infinitely better than nothing.

Her assumption seemed to have been right—her thoughts were peaceful and so was Shiro’s slumber. His face was relaxed as he slept, one could almost forget everything he’d suffered. He looked quite content.

But he was back with his friends, his family. Their foe was ended and they were soon to be returning to earth. Why wouldn’t he be? Similarly, his dreams were pleasant, she could feel the sweetness of them; calm and friendly.

Dare she take a closer look? Or was it a horrifying invasion of privacy?

She didn’t need to fret about that for long. He _must_ have been able to sense her concern, because suddenly the dreams were clearer, more defined. Less like mere sensations and more like scenes. All with no effort on her own part. He wasn’t just letting her in, he was guiding her. She had his permission. A smile, the first since they’d come to Olkari—since she’d thrown herself into work on stabilising the coalition, discussing the emissary to the colony, fuming over her foolishness with Lotor, fretting over healing Shiro—spread across her face.

Images flowed through her mind. A lovely woman with dark hair and delicate eyes, smiling down at her. A swell of pride in her chest and a bald, stern looking man saluting. A young boy with dark hair and a darker expression, accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of determination, hope and love. Two faces she quickly recognised as Sam and Matt Holt, but younger, less hardened; and they were laughing, mirth filled her mouth, and a laugh of her own—but not her own—spilled out. The Black Lion roaring to life beneath her touch, power surging through her veins. The bridge of the Castle of Lions—she felt her heart break, and she knew that was her own heart—and… _herself?_

Yes, herself. Standing at the control module. She watched herself raise a hand to open a map, but another hand—her own yet not—caught it. She looked into her own eyes, felt a wave of affection, shy uncertainty, but underneath that an irrefutable love, hit her as she looked into her own eyes. She felt her— _his_ —expression soften and watched her own do the same through his eyes. 

_You saved me…_

Shiro’s voice whispered in her mind. A memory, or was he speaking to her? The images faded into the background of her mind, and she saw she was staring at the medical control module; she hadn’t moved. She was blushing, though. Turning, she looked to her left to see Shiro, still blissfully asleep.

 _Rest_ , she thought, imagining herself pushing the word at him, sending it over the tenuous link in their minds. The smallest, most delicate smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. She saw his eyes move beneath his eyelids, and slowly, he opened them. Soft and warm and kind—how could they have ever suspected the clone to be Shiro, when only him, the _real_ him had eyes like that?

Allura pressed the button that retracted the pod’s covering, exposing him to the world. They’d not had a podsuit to place him in, so he was still in his Black Paladin jumpsuit, minus the cumbersome plating. It was uncomfortable to sleep in and difficult to get accurate readings through—the metal wasn’t just strong, it was designed to repel any signals but the Castle’s, to prevent enemy forces gaining important information, like location and vitals.

He turned to her, blinking slowly. The smile was in his eyes before it reached his lips.

“Hey.”

His voice was rasping; unused for several quintants, and the word was scratchy. But it was warm and the smile that had tugged at his mouth grew fully now, lighting up his face in a way only his soul could do. For the millionth time, she marvelled at how they’d ever thought the impulsive, rash, brainwashed shell had been anything close to the real Takashi Shirogane.

She hadn’t known his full name until she’d joined Monsters & Mana, and Coran had filled her in on the background. A sweet name. She’d held it lightly in her mind, as though appraising it. Delicate, gentle, soft on the ears but with strong undeniability all the same. Just like him.

“Shiro…” she breathed. Relieved tears stung her eyes, “You… you’re awake.”

His smile got even bigger, even warmer. Something in her chest fluttered. “I guess I am,” he agreed, “Gonna take more than a Galra death ray and a stint on the Astral Plane to get rid of me.”

“Seems so,” she conceded.

“Of course…” he paused, cleared his throat a little, then continued, “I have you to thank for this.”

“Me?”

His brows twitched in a slight frown, “Allura,” he said, sitting up in the pod. He groaned as he did so, but when she stepped forwards to help him, he shook his head. He swung his legs around so he was sitting on the edge of the pod, resting his elbow on his thigh, “You carried my soul into this body. I’d be dead if not for you.”

“You _were_ ,” she murmured, “But I don’t deserve that thanks. You only died in the first place because of me. Because I asked you to be a Paladin.”

“I chose to be a Paladin,” he corrected her firmly, “And the Black Lion chose me. The only thing you’re responsible for is saving my life.” He looked at her, his gaze intense, “Don’t ever apologise for leading me to this,” he said, “As Voltron, we’ve saved countless lives, done so much good for the universe. I think a little near-death experience is a fair price to pay for that.”

“It wasn’t a _near_ -death experience, Shiro,” she protested, “It—”

“I’m alive now, aren’t I?” he challenged, smile turning wry, “And it’s because of you.”

“I was just the conduit,” she dismissed this, “It was your connection to the Black Lion that tethered your soul.”

“And it was your magic that put that soul back into a body.” He could feel, in her mind, her guilt, how she felt all of this was her fault. From the moment she had stepped out of that pod and not immediately ordered the Blue Lion to take them back to Earth. And she, in his mind, could see only his affection for his new family, his pride at what they had accomplished, and his gratitude to her. Gratitude she felt was highly undeserved.

“Don’t,” he murmured—aloud, but they both knew it was in reply to her thoughts. Before she could argue, he continued, “I don’t want to argue about whose fault it is. We’re both too stubborn to make it anything but a waste of time. I don’t have the energy to prove how good a person you are just now.” He offered a gentle, hopeful smile, and with his remaining hand reached out and took one of hers. “But later?”

The question sounded so ridiculous to her she couldn’t help but laugh—and she could tell that, in part, that had been his intention. A peal of laughter escaped her mouth, the second in as many doboshes, but this time entirely her own.

“Alright,” she agreed, trying not to think how she could feel tiny bolts of energy where their hands met, “We’ll argue later.”

Her smile, he thought, was worth all he’d endured. She flushed, and then so did he, as he realised she’d been able to hear it.

“This, uh, mind link…” he said, “How long will it last?”

“I honestly don’t know,” she admitted, “I’ve never heard of any Alteans carrying souls before. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” She wondered, idly, if he thought it was an inconvenience. No sooner had this come across than he spoke,

“Not at all. I just… it’s a little odd.” _And I don’t want to invade your privacy._

 _Invade_ my _privacy? What about me invading yours._

 _Me? I have nothing to hide, Princess._ His warm smile lit up his face again. _I’m an open book._

“Well, then…” she said aloud, “As long as we’re both comfortable—and as long as we’re honest about that, I don’t see how this has to be a problem. We can just wait for it to fade.”

If _it fades…_

_Wait, this might not go away?_

_Like I said, I’ve never heard of something like this before. I don’t have any data to go on._

Shiro gave a shrug, not seeming overly concerned about it—though considering he was recently resurrected, he was obviously counting his blessings and not all that worried about something as minor as a low-level psychic link.

As he glanced away, however, he caught sight of his reflection in one of the healing pod’s panels. He stared.

“My hair…” His eyes widened, and he raised his hand to touch it, as if he couldn’t quite believe it was real. Allura smiled, amused.

“Your hair,” she agreed, the smile turning mischievous, “We’ll have to call you the Silver Paladin, now.”

“Does that make you the Pink Paladin?” he asked, returning the smile and all its mischief to boot. He turned back to his reflection, “Well, at least I suit my name now.”

“Oh?”

“Shirogane. In Japanese—an Earth language—it means silver.” He turned his head to the side, frowning thoughtfully, “Does it suit me?”

She blinked, not having expected that question, “I…” she began, and faltered. “It does,” she decided, and smiled softly, “It’s… unusual, I suppose, but I think we’re all still getting used to it.”

“You and me both,” he muttered, now looking down at his hand and flexing the fingers experimentally. “I feel… heavy. I guess that’s just because it’s been a long time since I inhabited a body,” he muttered, then chuckled, “Never thought I’d be saying that literally.”

She supposed that was a reference to one of Lance’s seemingly endless ‘meems’ and elected to ignore it. “Do you want to lie down in the pod again?” she offered, “You probably just need more rest.”

“Not yet,” he replied, “I want to move around a little. I feel like I’ve been asleep for days…” he rubbed his head, “I’m still a little fuzzy—how long have I been out?”

She shrugged, “About nine quintants,” she answered, “But nothing much has been happening, you needn’t worry,” she added quickly, before he could lament about laziness or some such nonsense, “We all just want you to get better.”

“I was dead, now I’m alive,” he said, his smile half a smirk, “Can’t get much better than that.”

She found herself returning the smile, despite his poor joke, “I suppose not,” she admitted, “But if you feel anything’s wrong, do tell. I want you to recover—we all do.”

“Thanks, Allura.” His words were warm and earnest. Only then did she realise that the clone Shiro had refrained from that as much as possible. Calling her by her name. Of course, Shiro had referred to her as ‘Princess’ himself any number of times, but when they were off-duty, or in a more casual setting, it had usually been ‘Allura’. Never with the clone, however. He’d also seemed to avoid casual conversation with her. With pretty much everyone, to be honest.

“Do you want to move to a room?” she then asked him, “The Olkari have set up quarters for all of us. We kept you here in the medical bay so I could monitor you, but you can move to something more comfortable if you—”

_You were monitoring me?_

The thought came, somewhat unbidden, into her mind, and she stopped. A wry smile curled his mouth, and she tried not to think about how much she liked that. “I… of course,” she replied blankly,

“Not an Olkari medic?” Shiro pressed, seeming genuinely curious, but something she could only identify as warm and soft was underneath the question. And something else, too, like mischief.

“Well, given how I’m the one with healing magic, and the one who restored your soul, it seemed logical.” She gave a shrug. Her thoughts told the full story; _after everything that happened, I didn’t want to leave you alone._ In fact, she’d been by his side almost constantly, only leaving when Keith had come in to watch him, allowing her to steal a few hours sleep here and there.

“You haven’t been sleeping?” Shiro frowned, “Allura, you need your rest as much as I do—” He stopped when she scoffed, then she flushed, appalled at herself.

_That was so rude! You imbecile! Don’t hurt his feelings!_

_Ha… You don’t have to worry about that, Princess. I was just… surprised._

_Well… it’s true! I haven’t been through nearly as much as you have._

_Maybe not, but you still need rest._

She was so eager to use her magic to heal others, to give her energy and life force away—the Balmera, the Castle’s Teleduv, his soul in this body—but was so reluctant to admit she needed help herself. She was loathe to take strength from others, though she freely offered her own. It was but one of many things he admired about her, even if it did make him worry.

_You worry about me?_

_Yes._ There was no point in denying it. _Because you don’t rest. Why didn’t you rest?_

 _I didn’t want to leave you alone._ This time she told him willingly, but it was no less true.

_And you only left the room when Keith was watching over me. My faithful little brother._

_Not as little as he used to be. But… yes._

_You really don’t trust anyone else to take care of me?_ The wryness in his words was undeniable. She blushed—even deeper when she realised they’d been talking exclusively through their mental link, despite being in the same room, both perfectly able to use their mouths.

_I can think of something more useful we could do with our mouths…_

The thought came from Shiro and as soon as it touched her mind, both of them were blushing furiously, unable to meet the other’s gaze.

“I—” Shiro gasped out, “I am _so sorry_ , Princess, I-I—that was inappropriate, I apologise—”

“No apology needed,” Allura muttered, still bright red, still not quite able to look him in the eye. _I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like that idea_. “Oh, by the Ancients!” she cried, pressing her hands to her face. Maybe this mental link _was_ a bad idea.

After several moments humiliated silence, they dared to meet one another’s eyes again, and found themselves laughing with each other when they did. Slightly awkward, perhaps, but overall it was familiar and easy; high on the knowledge that, for now at least, they were both okay.

“I… I really am glad, though,” Shiro said, once they finished laughing, “To be back, that everyone’s safe.” He paused, swallowed, “I have some… some of the… _other_ me’s memories. From when my soul was in the Astral Plane?” He looked to her to make sure she was following; she nodded, “When he was under Haggar’s control, he said… things, _horrible_ things to Keith.” He glanced up at her, eyes desperate, and she felt the terror in his mind. The guilt and the pain at the mere thought of hurting his brother. “He knows…” he whispered, “He knows that wasn’t me, right?” The fear and pleading in his expression, she could tell even without a doorway to his thoughts how much he needed the answer to be ‘yes’. 

She wasn’t in the habit of lying to her friends—to anyone, really. Luckily, she didn’t have to.

“Of course,” she said at once, moving to sit beside him on the edge of the pod, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Keith loves you, Shiro, and he knows you love him, too.” She smiled, then added, “Do you want me to fetch him? He’ll be so pleased to see you awake.”

He thought this over for a moment, “In… in a bit,” he decided. He spoke slowly, she noticed, like he was tasting each word in his mouth before letting out. Perhaps his new mouth, new teeth, new lips felt a little odd.

_Don’t think about his lips._

_What about my lips?_

This time, they elected to ignore that, and continued their verbal conversation as though neither had heard the other.

“I’m still kind of tired,” he said, “I’ll see Keith first thing tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” she pressed, “You can’t possibly think he would mind.” Frankly she doubted he was asleep in the first place, but even if he was, he knew he wouldn’t care about being woken if the news was this.

“Well…” She was clearly wearing him down, “I guess—”

“Hey, Allura, any progress on— _Shiro?_ ” They both looked up to see Keith standing in the medical lab’s doorway. Allura stood up at once, a bright smile on her face,

“Keith!” she exclaimed, “I was just about to call you. Shiro, he…” she turned to look at him, and faltered, unsure for words.

But words didn’t matter; Keith was relieved, and he hadn’t seemed to have heard anything Allura had said.

“You’re… you’re awake…” he murmured, staring so intensely at Shiro, as if he worried his brother might vanish if he so much as blinked.

“I am,” Shiro agreed, smiling sheepishly at his little brother.

No more was said between the two just then. Keith ran forwards, closing the small distance between the two of them, and threw his arms around Shiro, clinging on tight. From where she was standing, Allura could see tears streaking down his face; pure relief. Shiro’s emotions hit her like a brick wall; now that Keith was here, in front of him, all the longing and worry came full force, and between this and their mutual reaction, she couldn’t help tears spilling from her own eyes.

“You’re awake…” Keith muttered over and over—to himself or to Shiro or Allura or no one at all was anyone’s guess, “You’re awake… you’re alive… I missed you so much, Shiro, I missed you so much.”

Shiro buried his face in Keith’s shoulder, returning the hug as best he could with one arm. His own voice was choked, in Allura’s opinion, and it had nothing to do with Keith’s shoulder. “I missed you too, Keith.”

_I missed you, too._

* * *

“So,” Shiro was saying a little while later, when emotions weren’t running so high,m. They had clung to each other for several long minutes, like children lost in a storm. Shiro was now making an attempt at levity. “How’s Krolia doing?”

Keith was perplexed for a moment, “You… know who Krolia is?”

Shiro nodded, and explained the shared memories. “You know that wasn’t me talking, right?” he pressed, “I would never, Keith—I said I wouldn’t give up on you and I meant it. I’ll never leave you.”

“You don’t have to tell me Shiro, I know that,” Keith smiled. It was softer than before his two-year stint in the Quantum Abyss. It was softer each time he smiled it; each time he got more accustomed to the fact that, yes, he could be happy. Each time, his eyes were less guarded, less doubtful, less sad. “And you know the same goes for me right?”

Shiro nodded, smiling warmly. Allura could feel the ease this put on his mind; she felt it in how his thought relaxed, like a knot being loosened.

“You should get some rest,” Shiro then said, and Keith laughed,

“ _Me?_ ” he said, “How about you?” He turned to Allura, who had largely gone unnoticed by the pair for some time—not that she minded; this was their moment, and she had pretended to busy herself by checking Shiro’s vitals on the module, “How’s he doing?”

“He’ll be fine,” she assured him warmly, “A few more days’ rest, some good food and exercise, and he’ll be fully recovered.”

Keith nodded, and turned to back Shiro, “Start with the rest,” he said, standing from next to Shiro and giving him another hug. “I’ll come by first thing tomorrow, okay?”

“More than okay,” Shiro smiled, returning the hug. Keith gave him one last squeeze, then let go. he rested his hand on Allura’s shoulder a moment, a silent gesture of thanks, then left.

Allura turned back to Shiro, “Do you want to sleep in proper quarters?” she asked, “Or stay here?”

 _I’d rather sleep in your room_. The mind link that had been quieter when Keith was around; overridden by brotherly affection and the base urge to protect and reassure, now sprung back to full force. Allura blinked.

“Not—not like that,” Shiro explained quickly, “I just…” he swallowed, “I don’t want to be on my own.”

That she understood. Mostly because she hadn’t wanted to leave him. And for the most part, she hadn’t. Only when he’d been under Keith’s watchful gaze had she left this room for the past nine quintants.

“It…” she spoke carefully, “It would be inappropriate for a Princess to share her room with someone to whom she wasn’t married.”

She felt Shiro’s heart sink, and fear edge his thoughts like darkness, “Oh,” he muttered, “I get that.”

“But it would be reprehensible for a Paladin not to help out someone in need,” she continued with a shy, hopeful smile, “Especially a close friend. Especially someone she… she held dear.”

He looked up at her and flashed that wry half-smirk of a smile again. His amusement and hope bled across the link, just as her fluster and nervous affection flowed over to him. “Someone she held dear?” he echoed, raising an eyebrow.

Between the link, and all they’d been through this past year, she decided not to beat around the nortrak anymore. “I care for you, Shiro,” she told him firmly, “I care for all of you, you’re like family to me—more than that. And after everything… I cannot imagine what I would do if I really were to lose one of you.” Had she not spent most of her newly acquired magical skill on healing them? Healing them so she would never have to see such a day?

“I thought…” she swallowed, “I thought I loved Lotor, but I was foolish. He was manipulating me and with his flattery and his words about a new, revitalised Altea, I… I allowed myself to be blinded to his true intentions. And I never felt I could truly be myself around him, not like I do with Lance, and Hunk, and Keith, and Pidge… and you.” She wasn’t explaining this well.

_I’m not explaining this well._

_Why don’t you show me, then?_ he offered.

He’d meant it as more of a let-me-see-into-your-mind thing, but wasn’t entirely sure if she’d gotten the full message, because no sooner had he suggested this than she’d leant forwards, and he realised that her lips were pressed against his.

For a moment, they both froze, equally shocked. But warmth seemed to flow from where their lips met, and like ice thawing, they melted into it. Allura stepped forwards, Shiro stood up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, he pulled her close with his good arm, so tight it was as if he thought she she would fade away into starlight if he let go. They couldn’t hear one another’s thoughts—they were so close, their minds racing so fast and at the same time seeming so perfectly still, there was too much and yet nothing at all. Like white noise.

It was a tender thing, a kiss of confession; of respect and adoration, a strong friendship forged in fire and hardship, a deep understanding and above all, a desire—a _need_ —to protect and fulfil. To learn whatever was required for happiness, and the drive to give it. Like the air they breathed, they needed it. It was a kiss of their entire selves, not just their lips but their hearts and—thanks to the link—their minds. It was similar to how they’d felt sharing her body, this closeness, in the same way a puddle was like an ocean.

One thought stuck out to the pair of them, their minds so close in this one moment, it was impossible to say which one it was born from. It didn’t matter, though; it was equally true for the both of them.

_I can’t believe it took this long._

It seemed an age before they pulled apart. It was a slow thing; pulling away, opening their eyes, looking at one another now with the knowledge of what they had just done, what they felt.

“I…” Allura whispered, her breath warm on his lips. “You mean so much to me, Shiro. I only want  you to be happy.” 

“And I you,” he murmured in reply. His eyes roved over her, as if seeing her for the time—maybe, in a way, with these new eyes, he was. He was hungry for her; the sight of her, the sound of her voice, the feel of her in his embrace, her mouth pressed against his—now that he knew what that felt like, he knew he wanted more. Even more than when he’d merely imagined such a thing.

_You imagined kissing me?_

_Would it be crass if I told you I’d imagined a lot more than that?_

She laughed, “Maybe…” she admitted, “But I’m not complaining.” She stepped back, taking hold of his hand, and tugged, “Come on.”

_What?_

_You don’t want to be alone, and I don’t want to leave you alone._

_…what?_

She laughed again, “Well, we can hardly both sleep in that pod, now, can we?” she said calmly—much more calmly than she felt. Her heart was racing. Contact with him, even just holding his hand, felt like a rush of the purest quintessence imaginable.

Was that what love was? An energy that just gave and gave without ever running out, the greatest power imaginable? There was no doubt they loved each other. One simply can’t endure the trials they’d endured without loving the people you share it with. And he loved Keith, and Lance, and Hunk, and Pidge, and Matt, and Sam and even Coran. He knew what love felt like. With Allura, it felt a little different. The same, but different. A different form of the same kind of love.

Between these thought in his head, and Allura’s suggestion in his mind, Shiro was flushing bright red. “L-lead the way, Princess,” he muttered.

She did, navigating smoothly through the Olkari’s enormous Hub, to the rooms where she and the other Voltron Paladins had been set up. There was another room, that had been set up for Shiro, so far undisturbed. For one more night, at least, it would remain that way.

Once inside Allura’s room, Shiro sat down on the bed, the short walk having exhausted him more than he thought. He felt concern fringe at the edge of his mind—not his own.

_Are you alright?_

_I promise_ , he smiled warmly, _I’ll tell you if I’m not._

 _Well, it’s not like you can lie to me about it, is it?_ She gave a slight smirk as she peeled off her flight suit. He averted his eyes as she got changed.

 _I don’t mind if you see me_.

Both blushing furiously, he looked back. She was turned away from him, but she was, save for a pair of underwear, nude. Pink markings swirled across her shoulders, the back of her neck, her upper arms. One marking, almost like a tiny Voltron ‘V’ rested at the base of her spine.

_My god… she’s beautiful._

He hadn’t exactly meant her to hear that thought, but he was glad she did, and delighted in her embarrassed pleasure.

Once in appropriate sleeping clothes—the Olkari climate was somewhat warmer than what she was used to, so those sleeping clothes were a tank-top and shorts as opposed to her normal full-length nightgown—she sat down beside him on the bed and helped ease off his Paladin jumpsuit, leaving him only in boxer-briefs. It was somewhat difficult for him to do that one-armed, even more so when the stump was freshly injured from his skirmish with Keith at the clone base.

They had copied this body exactly, Shiro noticed, as he looked down at his bare chest. Each scar was exactly how he’d remembered it. He caught Allura looking at them, saw her brows twitch in a frown, and felt a prick of shame.

She felt it, too, and pounced on it.

 _Don’t you dare_ , she told him firmly. She couldn’t find the words to express how she felt, so she sent the feeling itself. Sorrow for all he had suffered, rage towards those responsible, admiration for how he had endured it and still stood strong, gratitude that he felt comfortable to share it with her, adoration for his refusal to let his past traumas define him.

_You… you really think that much of me?_

_If you ever thought I didn’t, then I wasn’t being a very good teammate_. She replied, as though it were obvious, and leant in again.

This was a quick, sweet kiss; almost shy and bashful. A kiss of assurance, of promise. No sooner did he feel her lips against his that the feeling was gone, and she was looking into his eyes, beaming. For a long moment, they simply stared into one another’s eyes, marvelling at all that had happened to lead them up this moment.

_Is it selfish that I’m glad for everything that happened?_

_What do you mean?_

_Well… if not for everything… I wouldn’t be here with you, now._

_I see your point. In that case, I must be selfish, too._

What with the more exposed skin, this third kiss quickly became a lot more heated. He leant backwards to lie on the bed and she followed him, lying beside him. He ran his fingers through her hair, down the column of her neck, traced the outlines of her markings, the curve of her ears. She held him close against her, tangling a hand in his now-silver hair, felt his beating heart against her own chest, his breaths strong and sure.

Again, it seemed an age before they broke apart. When they did, they were breathing heavily, and tangled in one another. There was no place other of them would have rather been in that moment. Shiro pulled her close, a quick squeeze of a hug, and she giggled.

“Y’know,” he then said, “Not that I don’t… admire the enthusiasm…” his words were wry, edged with the sheepishness of a confession, “But I’m still _really_ tired. I kind of just want to sleep.”

Allura chuckled, “Honestly? I’m exhausted, too,” she replied, “I don’t think I’ve had a proper night’s sleep since… well… since I stepped out of that pod.” She exhaled through her nose, vaguely amused, “Certainly not since before you went missing.” Six months ago. And she’d stepped out of the pod only a year ago. It seemed like a lifetime away. Maybe, in a way, it was.

“I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep since before Kerberos,” he told her. Her heart broke for him, and she hugged him closer.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you...” she whispered. All she wanted was for him to have peace, for him to get the rest he deserved after fighting so hard for so long.

”You’ve fought, too,” he pointed out in a low voice. “You deserve to sleep peacefully, too.”

He smiled down at her, something warm and content, and he felt he might explode for his adoration of her—mixed with her love for him that he could sense over their bond, it was surely too much.

“So why don’t we try to change that, then?” he offered softly. There was no need to speak loudly, here; it was just the two of them.

So they settled down together, Shiro on his back, his good arm curled around Allura’s shoulders, one of her arms around his waist, the other curled into his side, her head pillowed on his shoulder and one of her legs thrown over one of his, curling around the back of his knee as though anchoring him to her. Maybe she was.

 _I won’t ever let go_ , she thought, _I’m never letting go of you again_.

He pulled her even closer to him, and wished that Pidge had finished his new prosthetic, that he might hug her properly. He felt annoyed and slightly guilty that he couldn’t.

_Takashi Shirogane. Don’t you ever apologise for something like that._

_Yes, ma’am_. It was an amused statement, but she felt how flattered and even somewhat relieved he was. A long pause, then, _I should’ve told you my full name a long time ago._

_Oh?_

_Yeah. I like the way you say it._

_Say what?_ The smirk in her thoughts was evident, _Takashi Shirogane? You like how I say Takashi Shirogane?_ She wasn’t looking at his face, but she could tell he was blushing.

 _Quit teasing_. The vaguest of protests, _I really am tired. I want to sleep._

She leant up and kissed his jaw. _Me too._ She replied, _We certainly both need it_ , she added, settling back down to curl against his side. They were warm and safe in each other’s embrace, comforted by the irrefutable knowledge in their bodies and even their minds that they would not be alone tonight—that they would never be alone again.

It was the best night’s sleep they had had in a year.

**Author's Note:**

> Fancy more? Check out the belated sequel for Shallura Week 2018: _Pink and Silver_


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